photo: Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF
Czechia has punched its ticket to the quarterfinals, thanks to a 4-2 win over Switzerland on Saturday in Frisco at the 2025 IIHF World Men’s Under-18 Championship.
The win didn't come easy as the Swiss overcame a 2-0 deficit with a late goal in the second and a quick strike in the third. Czechia's Vit Zahejsky scored 3:45 into the final frame to break the 2-2 tie and Adam Novotny sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
"We're happy. We needed to win and we managed to do that," said Czech forward Vojtech Cihar. "Hopefully, we can build on this and keep it going."
Following a scoreless first period – which saw the Czechs dominate on the shot clock with a 13-3 advantage – Czechia finally found a way to beat Swiss goaltender Jovin Trachsel in the second.
Cihar scored just 55 seconds into the second on a breakdown by the Swiss. Following a neutral-zone turnover, Matej Pekar carried the puck into the Swiss zone and made a nice pass to a wide-open Cihar, who made Trachsel move side-to-side before stuffing the puck in the left side.
It was Cihar’s first of the tournament and is something to build on for the 6-foot-1 winger who played for the Czechs at the 2025 World Junior Championship, where he registered a goal and an assist in seven games. If the Czechs are going to move beyond the quarters, it’s safe to say Cihar will need to be a big part of that.
The Czechs were hungry for more and kept the pace up. A few minutes after Cihar’s goal, hulking defenceman Radim Mrtka found open ice on a 3-on-2 and tried the pick the corner but Trachsal made a great pad save to keep it 1-0.
But Trachsal couldn’t save them all as the Czechs kept coming. Adam Benak wired a wrist shot just under the crossbar on a Czechia powerplay at 10:34 of the second to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead.
And just when it appeared the game would get away from the Swiss, a late second-period goal by Mike Aeschlimann gave the Swiss some momentum heading into the third. Incredibly, despite being outshot 25-6 through 40 minutes, the Swiss were down just one heading into the final frame.
The Swiss tied the game just 54 seconds into the third on Jeremiah Mundy’s snap shot from the slot.
But the Czechs quickly answered when Cihar one-touched the puck to Zahejsky for an easy one-timer into a gaping net.
Trachsel was the Swiss star in this one, making 35 saves to keep his team in it.
"It was a tough game. We didn’t have too many shots on the Czechia goal but we played well defensively," said Trachsel. "My D helped me out a lot. We ended up losing but we played a really great defensive game."
Until Saturday’s win, Czechia had had an underwhelming tournament, as it is looking to win its first medal at this event since it earned silver in 2014. The Czechs opened their tournament with a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to the United States, a game Czechia led 2-1 in the third period. Next, the Czechs lost 4-3 in overtime to Germany.
So Saturday’s result can perhaps be used as a springboard for the Czechs as they try and reach the podium.
Switzerland’s fate, meanwhile, now largely rests on its matchup with Germany.
The European neighbours will meet on Sunday in Frisco with both teams facing the potential of finishing fifth in Group B and playing in the relegation game on 30 April.
Czechia sits in third place in Group B with four points, Germany has two and Switzerland is still stuck at zero. If the Swiss win on Sunday, they’ll still need to await the outcome of Germany versus United States on 28 April to see where they end up.
The win didn't come easy as the Swiss overcame a 2-0 deficit with a late goal in the second and a quick strike in the third. Czechia's Vit Zahejsky scored 3:45 into the final frame to break the 2-2 tie and Adam Novotny sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
"We're happy. We needed to win and we managed to do that," said Czech forward Vojtech Cihar. "Hopefully, we can build on this and keep it going."
Following a scoreless first period – which saw the Czechs dominate on the shot clock with a 13-3 advantage – Czechia finally found a way to beat Swiss goaltender Jovin Trachsel in the second.
Cihar scored just 55 seconds into the second on a breakdown by the Swiss. Following a neutral-zone turnover, Matej Pekar carried the puck into the Swiss zone and made a nice pass to a wide-open Cihar, who made Trachsel move side-to-side before stuffing the puck in the left side.
It was Cihar’s first of the tournament and is something to build on for the 6-foot-1 winger who played for the Czechs at the 2025 World Junior Championship, where he registered a goal and an assist in seven games. If the Czechs are going to move beyond the quarters, it’s safe to say Cihar will need to be a big part of that.
The Czechs were hungry for more and kept the pace up. A few minutes after Cihar’s goal, hulking defenceman Radim Mrtka found open ice on a 3-on-2 and tried the pick the corner but Trachsal made a great pad save to keep it 1-0.
But Trachsal couldn’t save them all as the Czechs kept coming. Adam Benak wired a wrist shot just under the crossbar on a Czechia powerplay at 10:34 of the second to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead.
And just when it appeared the game would get away from the Swiss, a late second-period goal by Mike Aeschlimann gave the Swiss some momentum heading into the third. Incredibly, despite being outshot 25-6 through 40 minutes, the Swiss were down just one heading into the final frame.
The Swiss tied the game just 54 seconds into the third on Jeremiah Mundy’s snap shot from the slot.
But the Czechs quickly answered when Cihar one-touched the puck to Zahejsky for an easy one-timer into a gaping net.
Trachsel was the Swiss star in this one, making 35 saves to keep his team in it.
"It was a tough game. We didn’t have too many shots on the Czechia goal but we played well defensively," said Trachsel. "My D helped me out a lot. We ended up losing but we played a really great defensive game."
Until Saturday’s win, Czechia had had an underwhelming tournament, as it is looking to win its first medal at this event since it earned silver in 2014. The Czechs opened their tournament with a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to the United States, a game Czechia led 2-1 in the third period. Next, the Czechs lost 4-3 in overtime to Germany.
So Saturday’s result can perhaps be used as a springboard for the Czechs as they try and reach the podium.
Switzerland’s fate, meanwhile, now largely rests on its matchup with Germany.
The European neighbours will meet on Sunday in Frisco with both teams facing the potential of finishing fifth in Group B and playing in the relegation game on 30 April.
Czechia sits in third place in Group B with four points, Germany has two and Switzerland is still stuck at zero. If the Swiss win on Sunday, they’ll still need to await the outcome of Germany versus United States on 28 April to see where they end up.
Switzerland vs Czechia - 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship
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